Current Research in Biotechnology (Jan 2024)

Influence of GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid) supplementation on biomass, pigments, lipid and protein content of Pseudochlorella pringsheimii under salinity stress

  • Pooja Bhatnagar,
  • Prateek Gururani,
  • Jyoti Rawat,
  • Krishna Kumar Jaiswal,
  • Pankaj Gautam,
  • Manisha Nanda,
  • P.K. Chauhan,
  • Mikhail S. Vlaskin,
  • Vinod Kumar

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7
p. 100223

Abstract

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Microalgae synthesize valuable compounds like pigments, proteins, lipids and carbohydrates under stress conditions, which make them an interesting feedstock for different industries. The effect of GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid) supplementation under salinity stress conditions was investigated on growth, biomass, pigments, lipid and protein content of Pseudochlorella pringsheimii. Between the varying treatments, 5 g/L NaCl combined with 2.5 mM GABA was observed as the best concentration for stimulating the production of bioactive compounds in microalga P. pringsheimii. The results revealed a significant increase in biomass content by 93.24 %, compared with the control. Moreover, a significant increase was also observed in the production of chlorophyll (chl) a, chlorophyll (chl) b, total carotenoids (car), protein and lipid content by 112.15 %, 84 %, 29.94 %, 23.08 % and 35.63 %, respectively. However, as compared to control and salinity stress alone, the total carbohydrate content was sharply declined by 52.30 % and 101.79 % in GABA supplemented groups. In addition, the presence of fatty acids and different biomolecules were also confirmed by GC–MS and FTIR analysis. The existence of different essential and non-essential amino acids in substantial amounts was validated by UHPLC analysis. Collectively, the present work contributes to a novel strategy for boosting the coproduction of biomass, lipids, proteins and pigments in P. pringsheimii under unfavorable conditions.

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